My Granddaughter Climbing Down the Rocks on the Isle of Man
My daughter and granddaughter were traveling together in the UK last week. They were on a very special mission. My granddaughter is going to spend a semester abroad this year, and my daughter was helping her to get settled.
My granddaughter is a junior in college. That's hard for me to get my head around. In the picture above, you can see her on the rocks at the Sound, on the Isle of Man.
Here is another picture of her at the bottom of the cliff. This picture is more symbolic for me. My granddaughter strikes a majestic pose. She is on a journey in life and is determined to prevail over challenges.
As I write this, she has already started her summer semester classes. And, she has already made friends with other students at the university. The summer semester lasts three weeks. After that there is a break before the fall semester begins. She won't be home until December.
Here is a picture of my daughter on the rocks. You can glean from these pictures that both women are athletic. They like nothing better than a good workout.
My daughter and granddaughter have been making trips to different places in the world for almost twenty years (my granddaughter celebrates her 20th birthday in November). In the early years, they traveled because my daughter was on tour, as a dancer. My granddaughter 'saw' Norway, Korea, Japan, France...a host of countries when she was an infant, and as she learned to walk.
Here is a picture of my granddaughter in a traditional Korean hanbok. My daughter was on tour in Korea, and as you can see, her daughter was already a dancer :) This must have been an interpretive dance, because the child is holding Cheez It crackers, as she makes her moves.
Last week, when my daughter and granddaughter traveled, they did so because it was my granddaughter who had "business". She was on an academic path, and had her eyes set on a future career.
Time moves on.
This trip will represent a number of 'firsts' for her. This is the first time my granddaughter will be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, legally. Here is the first picture of her ever legally enjoying a glass of wine in a public restaurant. Note the blue nails. She went for a manicure a day before she left for Europe.
This is the first time my granddaughter will be staying in Europe without her mother. Here is the way her dorm room looked when she first saw it. I wonder how long it will stay this clean? :))
She will be navigating her way in Europe on her own. She will be arranging for travel on buses, trains and planes as she makes her way around the continent and then back home.
It's a little nerve wracking for me, and yet so very exciting. It is the realization of a lifetime of work, for both her mother and for her grandparents, my husband and me. We have had a hand in raising her from the first. So, while she belongs to herself, and to her mother, she also (in my mind) will always belong to us.
Here we are, in the picture below--my granddaughter, my husband and I--at the beach in a sort of farewell get together shortly before she left for college. That was two years ago.
Just days after this picture was taken my granddaughter packed up her mother's pickup truck, and left for college. The picture below was taken not long after sunrise. The two women were getting an early start and friends had come to say good bye. I was on the curb, taking this picture.
My granddaughter is young. With a November birthday, she has always been one of the youngest in her class. And, her mother has always been very involved in her life. So, I worried, when she first went away to college. Would she make the transition to independent living? She'd be hundreds of miles away, at least a 6-hour car ride.
She settled in remarkably well at her new school, and she made friends in her first week. I won't say she sailed through freshman year. It took a while to get her sea legs, to learn how to balance school work and fun. But she did it. She finished that first year and when summer came got a job, her first real job, at a local outdoor eatery. She worked hard there. Here she is, cleaning up after work.
I was very proud of her, and reassured. Not only had she successfully finished her first year at college, but she had made a very good social adjustment. When she got a job, she applied herself 100%. Her boss told her she could always come back and work there. This adaptability I think is as important as any academic work she does.
Now it is two years after that early morning packing in August of '22. She has not only completed two years of college successfully, but she also feels in command of her academic material, and confident in her ability to handle whatever comes her way.
Here she is arriving at the airport in the UK. The airline broke her suitcase, and my daughter's suitcase. The two women had to buy new luggage.
Yesterday my granddaughter sent me a picture that showed her with her new 'friends' at a sport bar. There were quite a few young people in the picture. They all looked ready to meet the future, and have a good time.
I won't share that picture with you, but I will share a few more of the trip my daughter and granddaughter just completed. The Isle of Man has a long history. It is said to have formed about 8000 years ago. The first human inhabitants arrived about 6500 years ago. Those inhabitants, it is believed, came from Ireland, as the Isle of Man sits midway between Ireland and the UK. The Isle of man is not part of the UK. It is a self-governing Crown dependency.
One thing my daughter noticed about the island was the great number of boats that seemed not to be in use. It was explained to her by a local resident that the island used to be a center of fishing, but that the fish stock was depleted in the waters around the island. Also, I read that the Isle of Man used to be a hot spot for contraband, where goods were shipped to escape taxation.
Here is a picture that captures what she seems to have observed about the boats at anchor. I believe this picture was taken in Peel.
My daughter and granddaughter visited Peel Castle, In Peel. Construction of this landmark began more than 700 years ago. Here is a picture of my granddaughter in front of the massive castle.
My granddaughter has settled in her new dorm now, and is adjusting to her new circumstance. She has embarked on an adventure, by herself.
My daughter was also on her own, as she started her trip home. She returned to London to spend her final day in Europe. There she contemplated the significance of her journey. She spent that day, at least 8 hours of it, riding a bicycle through various London parks. Here is a picture of the bike she rented.
The picture above is almost as symbolic as the picture that showed my granddaughter astride the cliffs at the beginning of this blog. My granddaughter has taken flight. My daughter's job now is to get on with life, to support her child when necessary and to encourage her to become as independent as possible.
I'm proud of my two young women. I hope you enjoyed meeting them today.
Thank you for reading my blog. Hive on!
All pictures were taken by family members and are used her with their permission.